Feed-water regulator.



O. WILDHAGEN.

FEED WATER REGULATOR1 APPLICATION r1150 11111.29. 191s.

Patented July 18, 1916.

Witnesses:

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may be regulated.

OSWALD WILDHAGEN, OF CHARLOTTENBURG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FEED-WATER REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented July 18, 1916.

Application filed January 29, 1915. Serial No. 5,026.

Charlottenburg, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Water Regulators, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to apparatus for regulating the supply of feed water to steam boilers and has for its object to provide an improved arrangement for this pur- 3088. 1 For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the accompanying description and claims appended thereto.

Referring to the drawing wherein I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View, partly in section, of a steam boiler with my improved feed water regulating apparatus applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a detail of a modified arrangement, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of one of the valves shown in Fig. 1.

In carrying out my invention I provide a centrifugal pump for supplying water to the boiler. It may be driven by any suitable form of motor, the operating power of which In the feed water pipe I provide an automatically operated valve for cutting ed the supply of water to the boiler when the water therein reaches a predetermined high level. The valve may be float controlled or otherwise. The supply of power to the motor which drives the pump is controlled by a means which is responsive to both the pressure of the feed water delivered by the pump and to that existing in the boiler, and the arrangement is such that sufficient power will always be supplied to maintain the feed water pressure above that of the boiler pressure. In addition I also provide means for shutting off the power to the motor when the water in the boiler reaches a predetermined high level, thus stopping the pump. This last means will preferably be operated through the'same water level responsive device as controls the feed water valve. This arrangement has generally the great advantage that so soon as the feed water valve is closed to shut off the feed water from the boiler, the supply of power to the motor is cut off so that there is no waste of power due to the pump running idle.

In the drawing, 4 indicates a steam boiler and 5 its feed water pipe in which is arranged the valve 6 controlled by the float 7 through lever 8 and valve stem 9. The

-float rides on the water in the boiler and may be made to engage the collar 13 and force the valve 6' to its seat. In other words,

the hand wheel .forms a manual means for closing the valve independently of the float means.

Feed water is supplied to the boiler through the pipe 5 by means of the centrifugal pump 15 driven by any suitable form of motor. In the present instance it is shown as being driven by an elastic-fluid turbine 16. The motive fluid enters the turbine may be taken from any suitable supply, for. example from theboiler itself.

19 indicates a suitable throttle valve arranged in-theadmission pipe 17 for controlling the admission of motive fluid to the turbine. Its stem 20 is connected to a pres- The through the pipe 17 and exhausts at 18. It

sure operated movable abutment, here illustrated as a piston 21 arranged in the cylinder 22. The upper side of the piston 21 is subjected to the pressure of the feed water through a pipe 23 which connects the upper portion of the cylinder 22 with the feed water pipe 5, and the lower side of the piston issubjected to the pressure within the boiler through a pipe 24 which connects the lower portion" of the cylinder 22 to the boiler. Arranged in the pipe 24 is a throttling and cut-'oli" valve 24 having its stem 25 connected to the lever 11. This connection is preferably made flexible or yielding as by the interposition of the spring 25. By this arrangement valves 6 and 24 are both under the control of the float? so that they open and close together; 2'. 0., both are controlled with a. groove or grooves 33, shown in dotted the valve 19 and start the motor 16.

lines Fig. 3, so that when seated on the valve seat 28 a certain amount of leakage may take place into. the chamber 34 and thence out through pipe 35 in which a suitable regulating valve 36 may be arranged if desired. It will be understood, of course, that the grooves could, if desired, be formed in the seat 28 instead of in the face 31, or they might be formed in both the seat and the face. The upper side of the cylinder 22 is provided with an escape or leakage conduit 37 in which is arranged a suitable control valve 38.

The operation is as. follows: In Fig. 1 of the drawing the level of the water in the boiler is shown of such height as to have raised the float 7 and closed the valves 6 and 24. The valve 19 is also closed and the valve 26 is shown as having its valve body 29 against the seat 27, being held in this position by the spring 32. When the level of the water in the boiler falls the float 7 will be lowered and the valves 6 and 24 opened. The opening of the valve 24 admits boilerpressure through the pipe 24 to the casing of the valve 26. This will force the valve body 29 to the seat 28 against the action of the spring 32 and thus admit boiler pressure under the piston 21 tooppn 1e pump 15 will then begin to operate to supply water to the boiler. As the pressure of the water builds up it. will act through pipe 23 on the upper surface of the piston 21 and tend to close the valve 19. In operation it is necessary, of course, that the pressure created by the pump be sufiiciently above the pressure in the boiler to enable it to force water into the boiler. The ratio of the upper and lower surfaces of the piston in the boiler decrease the valve 19 will tend to close thus decreasing the speed of the pump. As soon as the desired water level. in the boiler is reached the float will rise and again close the valves 6 and 24 When the valve 6 is closed further admission of water to the boiler is stopped. At the same time the closing of the valve 24 cuts off the communication of the boiler with the valve 26.

The pressure in the valve casing 26 and the adjacent portion of pipe 24 and under the piston 21 diminishes due to the leakage through the grooves 33 and the spring 32 forces the valve body 29 upward against the seat 27, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. As soon as the valve body 29 moves to this position, the pressure under the piston 21 is quickly relieved and the pressure from the water pipe through pipe 23 will immediately 37 having a regulable valve 38 therein.

Pressure from the boiler is admitted above the abutment 21 through pipe 24 and may escape through the pipe 35. Arranged in the pipes 24 and 35 are the valves 25 and 26 having their stems 43 and 44 connected to the ends of the lever 45. This lever has a fixed pivot 46 intermediate between its ends and attached to. the lever is a rod 47, which rod corresponds to the valve stem 25 of Fig. 1 and which may be connected in a similar manner so as to be operated by the float or other means which responds to changes in the water level in the boiler. It will be seen that the valves 25" and 26 have a differential movement, the one closing as the other opens. The arrangement is such that when high water level is reached in the boiler, thus closing the valve 6, it will also close the valve 25 and open the valve 26. This will shut oif the supply of pressure from the boiler to the upper side of the piston 21 and at the same time permit the pressure above the piston to escape through the valve 26?. The pressure from the water pipe through the pipe 23 will then move the abutment 21 to close the valve 19. It will be seen that the valve 25 corresponds to valve 24 of Fig. 1, and the valve 26 to valve 26 of Fig. 1. In Fig. 2 the water pressure is below the piston 21 and the boiler pressure above it. This is just oppo site to the arrangement in Fig. 1 and is due to the fact that the valve 19 is operated through the lever 40.

As already stated the supply of feed water to the boiler maybe shut off by closing the valve 6. by means of hand wheel 14. This also closes the valve 24 and shuts off the power to the motor as described above. The interposition of the spring 25 insures that both valves may always be fully opened or fully closed without the necessity of nice adjustments.

Both the specific arrangements disclosed have the advantage of requiring few parts for performing the various functions required and of being relatively simple and efficient in operation.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

1. An apparatus of the character described, the combination of a boiler, a feedwater supply pipe, a valve therein, means controlled by the level of the water in the boiler for operating said valve, a centrifugal )um for sun )1 inc water to the feed-water 1 I y a pipe, a motor for operating it, a regulator for controlling the application of power to the motor, a movable abutment connected to the regulator, means for subjecting the respective sides of said abutment to the feedwater pressure and the boiler pressure, the feed-Water pressure tending to move the abutment to diminish the power and the boiler pressure tending to move it to increase the power, and means controlled by the water level in the boiler for relieving the abutment of the boiler pressure and permitting'the feed-water pressure to move the abutment to shut off the power to the motor.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a boiler, a feedwater supply pipe, a valve therein, means controlled by the level of the water in the boiler for operating said valve, a centrifugal pump for supplying Water to the feed-water pipe, a motor for operating it, a regulator for controlling the application of power to the motor, a movable abutment connected to the regulator, pipes connecting the respective sides of said abutment to the feed-water pipe and to the boiler, a valve in the pipe which connects the abutment to the boiler which is closed when the valve in the feedwater pipe is closed, and means for relieving the boiler pressure on the abutment when said valves are closed whereby the water pressure will act thereon to quickly move the regulator to shut off the power to the motor.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a boiler, a feedwater supply pipe, a valve therein, means controlled by the level of the water in the boiler for operating said valve, a centrifugal pump for supplying water to the feed-Water pipe, a motor for operating it, a regulator for controlling the application of power to the motor, a movable abutment connected to the regulator, means for subjecting the respective sides of said abutment to the feedwater pressure and the boiler pressure, the feed-water pressure tending to move the abutment to diminish the power and the boiler pressure tending to move it to in crease the power, and means which isoperated by the closing of the valve in the feedwater pipe for causing said abutment to move to cut off the power to the motor.

4:. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a boiler, a feedwater supply pipe, a centrifugal pump for supplying Water thereto, a motor for operating it, a regulator for controlling the application of power to the motor, a mov: able abutment connected to the regulator, means for subjecting the respective sides of said abutment to the feed-water pressure and to the boiler pressure, said feed-water pressure tending to move it to diminish the power and said boiler pressure tending to move it to increase the power, valve means for relieving the abutment of the boiler pressure, a valve in the feed-water pipe, and means responsive to the level of the water in the boiler for operating both said valve means and said valve.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a boiler, a feedwater supply pipe, a centrifugal pump for supplying water thereto, a motor for operating it, a regulator for controlling the application of power to thevmotor, a movable abutment connected to the regulator, means for subjecting the respective sides of said abutment to the feed-water pressure and to the boiler pressure, said feed-water pressure tending to move it to diminish the power and said boiler pressure tending to move it to increase the power, valve means for re lieving the abutment of the boiler pressure, a valve in the feed-Water pipe, means responsive to the level of the water in the boiler for operating both said valve means and said valve, and manual means for also operating said valve means and said valve.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of December, 1914.

OSW'ALD WILDHAGEN.

Witnesses:

ROBERT SPEHL, OSKAR BOHLAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

